| Tu-22M3 | |
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| Type | Strategic bomber, Maritime strike. The Ukrainian Air Force (Повітряні Сили України Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny) is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A strategic bomber is a heavy type Aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| Maiden flight | 30 August 1969 |
| Introduction | 1972 |
| Status | Active service |
| Primary user | Russian Air Force |
| Developed from | Tupolev Tu-22 |
The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO reporting name "Backfire") is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts Tupolev ( Туполев) is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Moscow. The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1969: Events The Canadian Snowbirds Aerobatic team is formed This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1972: Events January January 5 - US President Richard Nixon The Russian Air Force ( Russian: Военно-воздушные cилы России transliteration: Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii) is the air force WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Tupolev ( Туполев) is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Moscow. NATO reporting names are unclassified Code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc ( Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw pact For other uses see Supersonic. The term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the Speed of sound ( Mach 1 A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force. The Russian Air Force ( Russian: Военно-воздушные cилы России transliteration: Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii) is the air force
Contents |
Development
Background
The Tu-22 'Blinder' had not proved particularly successful, in some respects being inferior to the earlier Tu-16 'Badger'. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Its range and take-off performance, in particular, were definite weak points. Even as the 'Blinder' was entering service, OKB Tupolev began work on an improved successor.
As with the contemporary Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 'Flogger' and Sukhoi Su-17 'Fitter' projects, the advantages of variable-geometry wings seemed attractive, allowing a combination of short take-off performance, efficient cruising, and good high-speed, low-level ride. JSC "RSK "MiG" or Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG in full (formerly Mikoyan or Mikoyan-i-Gurevich Design Bureau, Микоян WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Sukhoi ( Сухой) is a major Russian manufacturer famous for its fighters WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight The result was a new swing-wing aircraft called Samolët 145, derived from the Tu-22, with some features borrowed from the abortive Tu-98 'Backfin'. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
The first prototype, Tu-22M0, first flew 30 August 1969. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1969: Events The Canadian Snowbirds Aerobatic team is formed The resultant aircraft was first seen by NATO around that time. The North Atlantic Treaty For several years it was believed in the West that its service designation was Tu-26. During the SALT negotiations of the 1980s the Soviets insisted it was the Tu-22M. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. At the time, Western authorities suspected that the misleading designation was intended to suggest that it was simply a derivative of the Tu-22 rather than the far more advanced and capable weapon it actually was. It now appears that Tu-22M was indeed the correct designation, and the linkage to the earlier Tu-22 was intended by Tupolev to convince the Soviet government that it was an economical follow-on to the earlier aircraft. Actually, the fore gear leg and the bomb bay cover were inherited from the original Tu-22. (Much the same happened in the U. S. in the 1950s with aircraft like the Lockheed F-94C Starfire, originally F-97, and the North American F-86D Sabre, originally the F-95. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout )
Only nine of the earliest Tu-22M0 preproduction aircraft were produced, followed by nine more Tu-22M1 pilot-production craft in 1971 and 1972. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1971: Events January January 6 - the United States Marine Corps This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1972: Events January January 5 - US President Richard Nixon They were known as Backfire-A' by NATO.
Production
The first major production version, entering production 1972, was the Tu-22M2 ('Backfire-B'), with longer wings and an extensively redesigned, area ruled fuselage (raising the crew complement to four), twin NK-22 engines with F-4 Phantom II-style intakes, and new undercarriage carrying the landing gear in the wing glove rather than in large pods. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1972: Events January January 5 - US President Richard Nixon The Whitcomb area rule, also called the transonic area rule, is a design technique used to reduce an Aircraft 's drag at Transonic and Supersonic In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi These were most commonly armed with long-range cruise missiles/anti-ship missiles, typically one or two AS-4 'Kitchen' anti-shipping missiles. A cruise missile is a guided Missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system usually a Jet engine, to allow Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of The Raduga Kh-22 ( NATO reporting name AS-4 ' Kitchen') is a large long-range Anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union. Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of Some Tu-22M2s were later requipped with more powerful NK-23 engines and redesignated Tu-22M2Ye. In service, the Tu-22M2 was known to its crews as Dvoika ('Deuce'). It was more popular than the Tu-22, thanks to its superior performance and improved cockpit, but its comfort and reliability still left much to be desired.
The later Tu-22M3 (NATO 'Backfire C'), which first flew in 1976 and entered service in 1983, had new NK-25 engines with substantially more power, wedge-shaped intakes similar to the MiG-25, wings with greater maximum sweep, and a recontoured nose housing a new Leninets PN-AD radar and NK-45 nav/attack system, which provides much-improved low-altitude flight (although not true nap-of-the-earth flying). This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1976: Events January January 1 - Middle East Airlines Flight 438 This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1983: Events January January 1 - Eastern Air Lines ' first revenue WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships Nap-of-the-earth (abbreviated NOE) is very low-level type of Flight course used to avoid detection and attack by an enemy when in a high-threat environment It had a revised tail turret with a single cannon, and provision for an internal rotary launcher for the AS-16 'Kickback' missile, similar to the American AGM-69 SRAM. The Raduga Kh-15 ( NATO reporting name AS-16 ' Kickback') is Soviet / CIS short-range nuclear Missile carried The Boeing AGM-69 SRAM (Short-range attack missile was a nuclear Air-to-surface missile designed to replace the older AGM-28 Hound Dog The new aircraft had much better performance than the -M2. It was nicknamed Troika ('Trio'), although apparently it is sometimes referred to as 'Backfire' in Russian service.
One area of controversy surrounding the Tu-22M is its capacity for aerial refueling. Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling ( IFR) air-to-air refueling ( AAR) or tanking, is As built, the Tu-22M has provision for a retractable in-flight refueling probe in the upper part of the nose. This was allegedly removed as a result of the SALT negotiations, although it can be easily reinstated if needed, and in fact a pre-production Tu-22M1 (Backfire-A) with refuelling probe can be seen at Riga Airport today.
A small number, perhaps 12, of Tu-22M3s were converted to Tu-22M3(R) or Tu-22MR standard, with Shompol side-looking radar and other ELINT equipment. A dedicated electronic warfare variant, designated Tu-22MP, was built in 1986, but to date only two or three prototypes have apparently been built. Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1986: Events January January 9 - the UK Defence Secretary Michael Some surviving 'Backfires' have had equipment and avionic upgrades to Tu-22ME standard (which does not have a separate NATO reporting name at this time).
Total production of all variants was 497 including pre-production aircraft.
Service
During the Cold War, the Tu-22M was operated by the VVS (Soviet Air Force) in a strategic bombing role, and by the AVMF (Aviatsiya Voyenno-Morskogo Flota, Soviet Naval Aviation) in a long-range maritime anti-shipping role. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Soviet Naval Aviation ( Авиация военно-морского флота in Russian, or Aviatsiya Voenno-Morskogo Flota, literally "aviation Shipping is physical process of Transporting goods and Cargo. Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of The United States was highly concerned about the threat that this new bomber posed. By 1982 fewer than 200 had been built. While it was unable to complete a round trip to the continguous United States without aerial refueling, it posed a tremendous threat to the US Navy and to NATO assets everywhere. Backfires that were either refueled, on one-way missions, or forward based had the ability to make low-level penetrations of United States territory almost at will. NORAD relied heavily on early detection and interception of high-altitude bombers and had comparatively few surface-to-air assets to defend against such an attack.
Combat service
The Tu-22M saw its first combat use in Afghanistan from 1987 to 1989. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Its usage was similar to the USAF deployment of B-52 Stratofortress bombers in Vietnam, dropping large tonnages of conventional ordnance. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Despite the considerable power of these attacks, their strategic usefulness was marginal. The Russian Federation used the 'Backfire' in combat against Chechen forces in 1995, carrying out strikes near Grozny. The Chechen Republic (ˈʧɛʧɨn rɪˈpʌblɨk Чече́нская Респу́блика Chechenskaya Respublika; Нохчийн Республика Noxçiyn Respublika Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Grozny (Гро́зный Соьлж-ГIала Sölƶ-Ġala or Соьлжа-ГIала Sölƶa -Ġala sometimes referred to as ce Джовхар-ГIала
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At the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union some 370 remained in CIS service. The Ukrainian Air Force (Повітряні Сили України Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny) is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 Due to their complexity and a deteriorating economy, considerable serviceability problems plagued the fleet. Production ended in 1993. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1993: Events The 1000th Boeing 747 comes off the production line 26 years after the Current strength is 162[1] aircraft, plus 93 in reserve.
Export
The Soviet Union did not export the Tu-22M, but the break-up of the USSR left some aircraft in the possession of former Soviet republics. Belarus has 52 (the serviceability of which is unclear). Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Ukraine possessed an additional 29, but since the Ukrainian government's renunciation of nuclear weapons, those aircraft have been destroyed, the last in 2004. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 2004: Events January 2 - Several British Airways flights from
Tupolev has sought export customers for the Tu-22M since 1992, with possible customers including Iran, India and the People's Republic of China, but no sales have apparently materialised. Tupolev ( Туполев) is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Moscow. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1992: Events The European Commission approves three new regulations to liberalize air For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Four were leased to India in 2001 for maritime reconnaissance and strike purposes [1]. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 2001 Events March March 29 - An Avjet charter flight, a Gulfstream III
Operators
Current
- Russian Air Force : 162 [2]
Former
- (withdrawn)
- All Soviet Union Tu-22Ms were passed to successor states. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Russian Air Force ( Russian: Военно-воздушные cилы России transliteration: Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii) is the air force Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. The Ukrainian Air Force (Повітряні Сили України Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny) is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991
Specifications (Tu-22M3 'Backfire-C')
General characteristics
- Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, defensive systems operator)
- Length: 42. 4 m (139ft)
- Wingspan: 112ft 5in
- Spread (20° sweep): 34. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 28 m (112 ft 6 in)
- Swept (65° sweep): 23. 30 m (76 ft 5 in))
- Height: 11. 05 m (36 ft 3 in)
- Wing area:
- Spread: 183. 6 m² (1,976 ft²)
- Swept: 175. 8 m² (1,892 ft²)
- Empty weight: 58,000 kg (172,000 lb)
- Loaded weight: 112,000 kg (247,000 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 126,000 kg (277,800 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Kuznetsov NK-25 turbofans, 245 kN (50,000 lbf) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 2. The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such 3 (2,327 km/h,)
- Range: 7000 km (4971 mi)
- Combat radius: 2410 km (1500 mi)
- Service ceiling 13,300 m (40,635 ft)
- Rate of climb: 15m/s (91ft/s)
- Wing loading: 688 kg/m² (147 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0. The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface 40
Armament
- Guns: 1× GSh-23 cannon in remotely controlled tail turret
- Hardpoints: wing and fusalage pylons and internal weapons bay with a capacity of 21,000 kg (46,300 lb) of
- From 1× up to 3× Raduga Kh-22 or Raduga KSR-5 missiles in weapons bay and on wing pylons or
- 1× internal rotary launcher for six Raduga Kh-15 short-range nuclear missiles plus two more Kh-15 or Kh-27 on each wing pylon
- Various freefall bombs. The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 ( ГШ-23) is a twin-barreled 23 mm Automatic cannon developed in the Soviet Union, primarily for Military aircraft An autocannon is a rapid fire projectile Weapon. Autocannon often have a larger Caliber (calibre than a Machine gun (i The Raduga Kh-22 ( NATO reporting name AS-4 ' Kitchen') is a large long-range Anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union. The Raduga KSR-5 ( NATO reporting name AS-6 Kingfish) is a long-range air launched Cruise missile and Anti ship missile developed by the The Raduga Kh-15 ( NATO reporting name AS-16 ' Kickback') is Soviet / CIS short-range nuclear Missile carried 69× FAB-250 or 8× FAB-1500 as typical arnament. ,
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
References
External links
- http://airwar.ru/enc/bomber/tu22m3.html
- Globalsecurity.org entry for the Tu-22M
- Tu-22* at aviation.ru
- FAS.org entry for Tu-22M
- Tu-22M at Airliners.net
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